The simple form and function of a Zippo lighter has made it an incredibly iconic design. But it could soon be supplanted by Alessi if the Italian houseware manufacturer prices its new Sushi lighter to compete with the Zippo. That, or convince a Hollywood producer to have an action hero prominently use it in an upcoming blockbuster.

Designed by Rodrigo Torres, the pocketable Sushi comes in a small selection of colors reminiscent of how KitchenAid tints its appliances, and it's no coincidence. Alessi and Torres wanted to emphasize the lighter was designed for domestic use around the home, not as a tough-as-nails outdoor accessory. And in the process it looks like they turned a mundane candle accessory into an object that's more mesmerizing to look at than a flickering flame.

[Rodrigo Torres via Behance via Notcot]

Robert Burden, an artist living in San Francisco, has an affinity for immortalizing his favorite childhood action figures as gigantic oil paintings that makes them seem larger than life. His latest piece, The Autobot, which gives Optimus Prime the glory he so readily deserves, took over 1,000 hours to complete. And thankfully for us, Robert captured the entire process in an awesome two and a half minute timelapse.

And here's the final version that you can embiggen and take in all the tiny details Robert added, including an actual Optimus Prime figure embedded in the bottom of the picture frame. If this doesn't get a wall in the Guggenheim, it will be a great disservice to this artist, the Autobots, and our nation.

If you want a Curiosity rover of your own but don't quite have NASA's budget, you can save yourself $2,499,999,850 by going with designer Arnold Patrick Martin's beautiful wooden model. It doesn't move, the cameras don't work, and it probably won't survive a trip to Mars, but it's also only $150.

And believe it or not, in a time when manufacturing is made so much easier with 3D printers and laser cutters, Martin actually hand cuts all 120 pieces of this model with a scroll saw. So if you were wondering why it's $150, there's your answer. [Etsy via Technabob]

Great news for anyone who's ever felt ignored by snooty Gap employees that seem more interested in what's happening in their headsets than their customers. To celebrate its one year anniversary, ROS Industrial put together this highlight reel of its robots in action, including a bit showing this arm deftly folding a shirt.

The demo is meant to show off the robot's capabilities, but like with most industries it also demonstrates that humans can be easily replaced. In fact, all it needs is a vintage hat and a few more tattoos and the arm should easily breeze through the interview process. [ROS Industrial via IEEE Spectrum]

Is there anything more embarrassing than only realizing there's a slight wrinkle in your tie once you get to work? What will your co-workers think, that you actually wear your clothing? Oh, the horror. Thankfully, you can avoid that nightmare with this compact pocket-sized iron that eradicates wrinkles like a hair straightener.

Powered by three AA batteries the iron is certainly a convenient way to smooth out a skirt or a shirt when you're away from home, but due to its size it looks even more tedious than using an actual iron. But for just $10 it could mean the difference between a callback on that job interview, or being tossed out onto the street by the receptionist for looking like a wrinkled bum.

[ESupply via DamnGeeky]

How's this for a brilliant marketing campaign? To help sell the notion that there's no better way to spend an evening than with a pizza and a movie, Dominos in Brazil created custom DVDs with a heat-reactive flavored varnish that actually smelled like pizza once they were played.

The DVDs, which included such popular titles as Argo and The Dark Knight Rises, were distributed at movie rental shops in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. And to further drive the point home, the discs were also printed with a thermal ink so not only did they smell like pizza when removed from a DVD player, they also looked like one too with the message: "Did you enjoy the movie? The next one will be even better with a hot and delicious Domino's Pizza." Who could possibly resist? [Creativity Online via Taxi]

Skynet comes across as a resourceful artificial intelligence. After all, if it's clever enough to send someone back in time to wipe out an enemy before they're born, it's not hard to believe it could see the potential in Lego Technic when it comes to building an army. Particularly when we've just shown it how.

A Polish Lego savant who goes by piotrek839 on the LUGPol forums created this life-size Terminator arm that's powered by twelve separate Lego Technic motors and some of the most complex engineering and gearing we've ever seen. Because of the limited speeds of the Technic motors the arm moves very, very slowly, but it's incredibly articulate, particularly how the hand seems to perfectly replicate the range of motion on a human wrist. If things get out of hand here, stepping on a small plastic brick in bare feet could be the least of mankind's worries.

[LUGPol via Make]

Zippo, a brand long associated with smokers and arsonists, has now decided to use its expertise in stainless steel to help those burdened with a giant Costanza wallet as it's come to be known. The company's new wallet is just under half an-inch thick, and its stainless steel housing will help block wireless signals if you're worried about ID theft.

But what do you think? Have you already made the switch to a minimalist wallet to slim down your pockets? Or will one day someone have to pry that over-stuffed monstrosity from your cold, dead back pocket? [Zippo]

What he said.

The whole hip pocket notebook fad is getting a little tired, but DODOcase—the makers of some gorgeous premium cases for the iPhone, iPad, and other devices—might have just revived it with its new DODOnotes iPhone-friendly notebooks.

Each book features 30 blank tear-out sheets of silky smooth Mohawk Superfine paper. If the pen on paper experience were like driving, this would be the Autobahn. And the cover is made from either red, blue, or black bookcloth fabric, with an iPhone-sized indent on the front that securely holds your phone with an elastic strap. They're available now for the iPhone 4 or 5 for $14 so it's time to regift that stack of Field Notes.

[DODOcase via swissmiss]

Honda has been demoing its sitting Segways for years now, but the Hammacher Schlemmer version has one crucial advantage over them: it's actually for sale. So instead of just being tantalized by a future where legs are an unnecessary human feature, we're now officially living it.

You'll pay dearly for the privilege of surrendering your need to stand—$2,700 to be exact—but just think of the money you'll save with the reduced wear and tear on your shoes. Powered by a 500-watt electric motor, the self-balancing unicycle provides up to two hours of 13 mph thrills on a three-hour charge. It can support riders up to 250 pounds, but your mileage will vary depending on how close you get to that limit.

Like the Segway, accelerating and stopping the unicycle is accomplished by gently leaning forwards or back, and internal gyros prevent it from taking a nose dive. Keeping it balanced side-to-side is left up to the rider, however, so if you don't know how to ride a bike, you're not going to want to give this thing a try. But for everyone else, a future where bicycles, skateboards, inline skates, and even rolling office chairs are obsolete is finally upon us.

[Hammacher Schlemmer via 7Gadgets]

They're light, they're cheap, they're marginally comfortable, but ironically, folding chairs are rarely easy to stack and store. They're supposed to be, but their random curves and bulges make it a task that's frankly just not worth it—especially knowing that Folditure's ultra-flat hanging Tilt chairs are about to hit the market.

The hinges and supports on the Tilt that allow it to fold are designed so that when collapsed, the chair ends up being as flat as a pancake. So when stacked, the risk of avalanche is slim to nil. But stacking isn't your only option. The tilt also features an integrated hanger so a whole mess of them can be easily hung up like a closet full of clothes. There's no word on pricing or availability just yet, but Folditure has put crazier designs into production, so there's a good chance these will be too.

[Folditure via Chip Chick]